Forming and assembling apparatus



June 1, 1965 c. s. BEYER ETAL FORMING AND ASSEMBLING APPARATUS 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed May 2-, 1962 IN NTORS YER A.L.VAN NEST ATTOEN June 1, 1965 c. s. BEYER ETAL FORMING AND ASSEMBLING APPARATUS AILIvAN NEST q M, BY

ATTORNEY m Y E s v s c 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed May 2, 1962 June 1, 1965 c. s. BEYER ETAL FORMING AND ASSEMBLING APPARATUS Filed May 2, 1962 INVENTORS .SBEYEE A.L.VAN NEST BY (1Q.

' ATTOEN Y 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 June 1, 1965 c. s. BEYER ETAL FORMING AND ASSEMBLING APPARATUS 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed May 2, 1962 INVENTORS C5. BEYEQ A.L..VAN NEST a'a'e ATTORNEY June 1, 1965 c. s. BEYER ETAL FORMING AND ASSEMBLING APPARATUS 5 R O E N m o 5 t W w m B A. 0; 5L 5 q. CA t I ll 2. $3 Q 5 Q. Y B 7 m 5 m. & m 2 4 y a M w a l 1 F 3,186,961 FURMTNG AND ASSEMBLKNG APPARATUS Conrad S. Beyer and Arden L. Van Nest, Indianapolis,

Ind, assignors to Western Electric Company, Incorporated, New York, N.Y., a corporation of New York Filed May 2, 1962, Ser. No. 191,953 4 Claims. (CI. 29-33) This invention relates to forming and assembling apparatus, and more particularly to an apparatus for cutting off sections of wires of different predetermined lengths and assembling them to an article.

An object of the invention is to provide an improved forming and assembling apparatus.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved apparatus for forming elongated members of different predetermined lengths and attaching the members to an article.

An apparatus illustrating certain aspects of the invention may include a reciprocatory feed mechanism for moving a plurality of wires in one direction along a predetermined path through a predetermined distance to advance the leading end portions of the wires onto a transfer slide with the leading extremities of the wires projecting beyond the transfer slide. A plurality of punch and dies individual to the wires are positioned between the reciprocatory feed mechanism and the transfer slide and are actuated to shear sections of different lengths from intermediate portions of the wires to form severed wire elements of different predetermined length in predetermined relation to each other. The transfer slide is then actuated to carry the severed wire elements into recesses in an article supported on a holder of the apparatus in the path of movement of the wires and below a staking punch which is then actuated to stake the severed wire elements to the article.

Other objects, advantages and novel aspects of the invention will become apparent upon consideration of the following detailed description, in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a fragmentary vertical longitudinal sectional view through the apparatus;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary horizontal sectional view of the apparatus taken on line 2-2 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary longitudinal vertical sectional view of the apparatus showing parts of the apparatus in changed position;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing the assembly of a pair of elongated elements to an article and indicating a portion of wire supplies from which the elements are formed;

FIG. 5 is a vertical cross sectional view through the apparatus taken on line 55 of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary front elevational view of the apparatus.

The present apparatus is designed to form a pair of elon gated elements and 16 (FIG. 4) of different predetermined lengths, insert the ends of the elements into a pair of parallel recesses 17 and 18 formed in an article 20 and to stake the article at points 21 and 22 to secure the elements 15 and 16 to the article. The elements 15 and 16 are sheared from wires 15-1 and 16-1. The article 20 with the elements 15 and 16 thereon is subsequently fabricated into a bell clapper for telephones.

Generally, the apparatus comprises a reciprocatory feed mechanism 25 (FIG. 1) for advancing the wires 15-1 and 16-1 through a predetermined distance past a punch and die mechanism 28 to a transfer slide 3ft with the ends of the wires 15-1 and 16-1 projecting beyond the transfer slide. After the wires 15-1 and 16-1 have been advanced by the feed mechanism 25, the punch and die mechanism 28 is actuated to shear intermediate sections 15-2 and a United States Patent 0 3,186,961 Patented June 1, 1965 16-2 of different lengths from the wires to sever the elements 15 and 16. Thereafter, the transfer slide 30 is actuated to advance the elements 15 and 16 and effect the insertion of the ends thereof into the recesses 17 and 18 of the article 20 which is stationarily supported on a holder 34 with a portion of the article disposed beneath a staking die 36. The staking die is actuated in timed relation to the other mechanisms to stake the article 20 at points 21 and 22 to secure the ends of the elements thereto as indicated hereinbefore.

The Wires 15-1 and 16-1 from suitable supplies thereof are guided into the feed mechanism 25 through a pair of guide tubes 41 fixedly secured to a horizontal plate 41 forming a portion of a supporting frame of the apparatus. From the guide tubes the wires are advanced through a pair of horizontal guide apertures 42 in a member 43 on the plate 41, through a pair of horizontal guide apertures 44 in a slide 45 of the reciprocatory wire feed mechanism 25, through a second pair of guide apertures 42 in a member 46 on the plate 41, and through a pair of apertures 47 in the transfer slide 30.

The slide 45 of the wire feed mechanism 25 is provided with a dove-tail slideway and is slidably supported on a dove-tail guide 48 on the horizontal plate 41. A pair of spring biased feed pawls 49 are pivotally mounted on the slide 45 for gripping and advancing the wires in response to forward movement of the slide. Two pairs of spring biased holding pawls 52 and 53 are pivotally mounted on the members 43 and 46, respectively, of the stationary frame plate 41 to hold the wires against movement during the return movement of the slide 45.

The slide 45 is urged forward by a pair of springs 55 (FIG. 2) which are supported on rods 56 and are interposed between lugs 57 on the slide and stationary members 5S. Horizontal reciprocatory movement is imparted to the slide 45 in cooperation with the springs 55 by a pair of earns 59 (FIG. 1) that are mounted on a vertically reciprocable ram 60 and engage cam followers 61 on the slide.

The ram 60 (FIG. 1) is guided for vertical movement on suitable guide rods 62 and is urged upwardly by springs 63 (FIG. 5). Linkage including link 64 (FIG. 1), lever 65 pivotally mounted on a stationary frame member 66, link 67, and push rod 68 slidable in a vertical guide 69, interconnect the ram 60 with a cam 76 on a shaft 71. The cam 76 in cooperation with the springs 63 (FIG. 5) effect the vertical reciprocation of the ram 60, which in turn effects the horizontal reciprocation of the slide 45, and the successive advancement of the pair of wires 15-1, 16-1 through a predetermined distance.

The punch and die mechanism 28 for shearing the intermediate sections 15-2 and 16-2 from the wires includes a pair of punches 80 and 81 which are secured to the ram 60 for reciprocation therewith. The punches 80 and 81 are of different widths and cooperate with a pair of dies 82 and 83 (FIGS. 1 and 2) fixedly mounted on the frame plate 41 to shear the sections 15-2 and 16-2 of different lengths from the wires and thereby sever the wire elements 15 and 16 of diiferent predetermined lengths. The sheared sections 15-2 and 16-2 (FIG. 4) of wire drop downwardly from the apparatus through a clearance aperture 35 in the frame plate 41.

The transfer slide 30 (FIGS. 2 and 3) is U-shaped and includes a cross member 37 (FIG. 3) and a pair of parallel side arms S8 extending transversely from the cross member on opposite sides of the slide 45. A pair of guides 69 on the frame plate 41 engage the arms 88 and form a guideway for movement of the slide 30 parallel to that of the slide 45. Pivotally mounted on the cross member 37 of the transfer slide is a pair of feed pawls 91 for gripping and feeding the elements 15 and 16 in response to forward movement of the transfer slide.

Spring 92 (FIG. 2) for urging the transfer slide 30 to a normal retracted position as shown in FIGS. 1 and 3 are seated at one end in recesses 93 in upwardly directed end portions 94 on the arms 88 of the slide and the other ends of the springs seat against stationary lugs 95 on the guides 89. Forward movement is imparted to the transfer slide by a cam 98 which is mounted on a cam shaft 99 and cooperates with a cam follower 100 on the transfer slide. As shown herein the cam follower 100 is carried by an arm 101 which is pivotally supported intermediate its ends on the portions 94 of the arms 88 of the transfer slide. The arm 101 is held by a spring 1113 in a normal position against a stop 102 on the portion 94 of the transfer slide. The spring 1113 is sufficiently strong to hold the arm 191 against the stop 102 during normal actuation of the transfer slide 39 by the cam 98 but provides a yieldable connection between the slide and the cam to prevent damage to the slide in the event of blockage thereof.

In response to rotation of the cam shaft 99, the cam 98 advances the transfer slide 30 and the severedwire elements and 16 through a predetermined distance and inserts the forward protruding end portions of the wire elements 15 and 16 into the recesses 17 and 18 of the article supported in the holder 34. The holder 34 which is a hinged two-piece structure for releasably supporting the article therebetween is mounted on a carrier 107 (FIG. 1). A plurality of the carriers 107 with article holders 34 thereon are supported on a track 108 and are connected to a chain 103 to form a conveyor. This conveyor is adapted to be indexed by mechanism (not shown) driven from the shaft 71 to bring successive holders 34 and articles 20 into a predetermined work position relative to the staking tool 36 and the path of movement of the wires 15-1 and 16-1 for the assembly and the staking of the wire elements 15 and 16 to the article.

A suitable drive mechanism 112 including a drive motor 113, indicated diagrammatically in FIG. 1, is provided for sequentially rotating the shafts 71 and 99 through one revolution during the operation of the apparatus.

The staking tool 36 is mounted on a ram 120 which is guided for vertical movement by guide rods 121 (FIG. 6) secured thereto and extending upwardly into stationary guide bushings 122. The guide bushings are secured to an upper horizontal stationary frame plate 123 forming a part of the frame of the apparatus. Secured to the ram 126 is a piston rod 125, the piston of which is reciprocable within the cylinder of a fluid-operated actuator 126 fixedly mounted on the frame plate 123 for actuating the ram 120 and the staking tool 36.

Hydraulic fluid is selectively admitted to opposite ends of the actuator 126 under control of a solenoid actuated valve 127 (FIG. 6) to effect the reciprocation of the ram 126 and the staking tool 36. The shifting of the valve 127 is controlled by a pair of switches 128 and 129 which are stationarily mounted on the frame of the apparatus and are actuated by earns 1.30 and 131 secured to the cam shaft 99. Downward movement of the staking tool 36 is limited to a predetermined position by a pair of rods 132 secured at their lower ends to the ram 120 and extending through guide apertures in the horizontal frame plate 123 and having stop nuts 133 thereon engageable with the frame plate 123.

To effect the accurate positioning of the holder 34 in the Work station, the holder is provided in the upper portion thereof with a pair of recesses 135 (FIG. 6) for receiving the end portions of a pair of aligning rods 156. These rods 136 are slidable in guide apertures 137 in the ram 120 and are secured at their upper ends to a cross head 138 which is guided for vertical movement by guide rods 139 secured to and extending downwardly from the plate into apertures in the ram 120. The cross head 138 is connected through a pair of links 141 to one end of a pair of lever arms 142 which at their other end are connected to each other and mounted on the frame 66 for pivotal movement about a pivot 143 (FIG. 1). A lever 1 1M fixed to and extending obliquely downwardly from the lever arms 142 has a cam follower 145 (FIG. 2) which rides on a earn 146. The cam 146 is secured to the cam shaft 99 and cooperates with springs 147 (FIG. 6) interposed between the ram and the cross heads 138 on the rods for effecting the vertical movement of the aligning rods 136 into and out of the recesses 135 of the holder 34.

In the operation of the apparatus, after the wire elements 15 and 16 have been assembled and staked to he article 29 and the transfer slide 30 has been returned 0 its retracted position, the drive mechanism 112 operates to stop rotation of the cam shaft 99 and to effect rotation of the earn shaft 71 through one revolution. During the rotation of the shaft 71 the conveyor is indexed to move a holder 34 with an article 20 therein to the Work station. Also, during the rotation of the cam shaft 71, the cam 71: thereon in cooperation with the springs 63 effects the raising of the ram 60 from its lower position during which the springs 55 serve to advance the wire feed slide 45' through a predetermined distance under control of the earns 59 on the ram and effect the forward movement of the leading extremities of the wires 151 and 16-1 past the apertures in the dies 82, 83 and into the guide apertures 47 in the transfer slide 30, and to locate the wires in a predetermined position on the slide with the end portions thereof projecting in advance of the slide in a predetermined relation to each other.

Under the action of the cam 70 and the downward movement of the ram, the cams 59 on the ram effect the horizontal return movement of the feed slide 45. Also during the downward movement of the ram, the punches 8t) and 31 cooperate with the dies 82 and 83 to shear sections 152 and 16-2 from intermediate portions of the wires and thereby sever the Wire elements 15 and 16.

Ch completion of one rotation of the shaft 71, the drive mechanism 112 rotates the cam shaft 99 through one revolution during a portion of which the cam 146 (FIG. 2) effects the actuation of the aligning rods 136 into engagement with the aligning recesses 135 and the holder 34 and the accurate alignment of the article 20 in the W01; station with the wire elements 15 and 16 and the staking tool 36. The cam 98 also advances the transfer slide 30 to move the wire elements 15 and 16 toward the article 20 and insert the leading ends of the wire elements into the recesses 17 and 18 of the article.

While the wires 15 and 16 are held in assembled relation with the article by the transfer slide 30, the cam 13'!) on the shaft 99 closes the switch 128 to effect the operation of the actuator 126 and the downward movement of the staking tool 36 to stake the article at points 21 and 22 to secure the ends of the wire elements 15 and 16 to the article 20. The cam 98 in cooperation with the springs 92 then effects the return movement of the transfer slide 30 to its retracted position, during which movement the wire elements 15 and 16 are disengaged from the slide. This completes one cycle of operation of forming the wire elements 15 and 16 and assembling and staking them to the article, which cycle is automatically repeated during the operation of the apparatus.

It is to be understood that the above-described arrangements are simply illustrative of the application of the principles of this invention. Numerous other arrangements may be readily devised by those skilled in the art which will embody the principles of the invention and fall within the spirit and scope thereof.

What is claimed is:

1. An apparatus for forming a plurality of elongated members of different lengths and assemblying them to an article comprising feed means for advancing a plurality of such members of indefinite length through a predetermined distance along a path in fixed and laterally spaced relation to each other, transfer means mounted in the path of movement of said elongated members for releasably supporting the leading end portions of the members thereon, punch and die means disposed between said feed means and said transfer means and having cooperating cutting edges in spaced relation to one another for shearing sections of different lengths from intermediate portions of the members to form severed end sections of the members of different predetermined lengths, means for supporting an article in the path of movement of the elongated members, and means for advancing said transfer means to carry the severed end sections of the members into assembled relation with the article.

2. In a forming and assembling apparatus a reciprocation feed means for advancing a plurality of elongated members along a predetermined path in fixed and laterally spaced relation to each other, transfer means mounted in the path of movement of said members for releasably supporting the leading end portions of the members thereon with the extremities of the members extending in advance thereof, punch and die means disposed intermediate said reciprocatory feed means and said transfer means and having cooperating cutting edges in spaced relation to one another for severing intermediate sections of the members of different lengths, a holder for supporting an article with recesses therein in a predetermined position with the recesses in the path of movement of the elongated members, means for advancing said transfer means to carry the leading extremities of the severed portions of the members into the recesses in the article, and means for staking the article to secure the severed portions of the members to the article.

3. In a forming and assembling apparatus a first slide mounted for movement along a predetermined path, releasable means on said slide for gripping and advancing a plurality of elongated members in parallel relation to each other along said path in response to forward movement of said slide, a second slide mounted for movement along said path in advance of said first slide, releasable means on said second slide for gripping and advancing said elongated members in response to forward movement of said second slide, punch and die means mounted between said first and said second slides and having cooperating cutting edges in spaced relation .to one another for shearing sections of different lengths from intermediate portions of the elongated members, holding means for supporting an article having recesses therein in a predetermined position with the recesses in the path of movement of the elongated members, means for actuating said first slide through a predetermined stroke to advance the elongated members a predetermined distance between said punch and die means and onto said second slide, means for actuating said punch and die means to shear intermediate sections of the elongated members and to sever from said members end sections of different predetermined lengths, and means for actuating said second slide to advance the severed end sections and insert the leading extremities thereof into the recesses of the article.

4-. In an apparatus for forming elongated elements of diiferent predetermined lengths and securing the ends of the elements to a recessed article, a stationary supporting means, a first slide on said supporting means movable along a straight path, releasable means on said first slide for gripping and advancing a plurality of the elements of indefinite length and in parallel relation to one another along said path in response to forward movement of said first slide, a second slide mounted on said supporting means for movement along said path in advance of said first slide, releasable means on said second slide for gripping and advancing the elements along said path in response to forward movement of said second slide, punch and die means mounted on said supporting means between said first and said second slides and having cooperating cutting edges in spaced relation to one another for shearing intermediate sections of different lengths from the elongated elements to sever end sections of diiierent lengths of the elements, releasable means on said supporting means adjacent said punch and die means for permitting forward movement of the elements and for gripping and holding the elements against return movement with said first slide, means for supporting an article in a predetermined position with the recesses therein in the path of movement of the elongated elements, means for actuating said first slide through a predetermined distance to advance the elements along said path through said punch and die means and onto said second slide, means for actuating said punch and die means to effect the shearing of the end sections of diiferent lengths, means for actuating said second slide to advance the severed end sections of the elements and insert the leading extremities thereof into the recesses in the article, and means for deforming a portion of the article to secure the severed end sections of the elements thereto.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,855,045 10/58 Frank 83-167 2,998,633 9/61 Andren 29--33.l0

RICHARD H. EANES, JR., Primary Examiner. 

1. AN APPARATUS FOR FORMING A PLURALITY OF ELONGATED MEMBERS OF DIFFERENT LENGTHS ANS ASSEMBLYING THEM TO AN ARTICLE COMPRISING FEED MEANS FOR ADVANCING A PLURALITY OF SUCH MEMBERS OF INDEFINITE LENGTH THROUGH A PREDETERMINED DISTANCE ALONG A PATH IN FIXED AND LATERALLY SPACED RELATION TO EACH, TRANSFER MEANS MOUNTED IN THE PATH OF MOVEMENT OF SAID ELONGATED MEMBERS FOR RELEASABLY SUPPORTING THE LEADING END PORTIONS OF THE MEMBERS THEREON PUNCH AND DIE MEANS DISPOSED BETWEEN SAID FEED MEANS AND SAID TRANSFER MEANS AND HAVING COOPERATING CUTTING EDGES IN SPACED RELATION TO ONE ANOTHER FOR SHEARING SECTIONS OF DIFFERENT LENGTHS FOR INTERMEDIATE PORTIONS OF THE MEMBERS TO FORM SERVED END SECTIONS OF THE MEMBERS OF DIFFERENT PREDETERMINED LENGTHS, MEANS FOR SUPPORTING AN ARTICLE IN THE PATH OF MOVEMENT OF THE ELONGATED MEMBERS, AND MEANS FOR ADVANCING SAID TRANSFER MEANS TO CARRY THE SERVED END SECTIONS OF THE MEMBERS INTO ASSEMBLED RELATION WITH THE ARTICLE. 